All This Time
by RhysMerilot
Summary: It's been five years since they settled their differences. "No, it was time to stop playing it safe this year. It was also time to put her plan in action, Operation Swan Queen, Henry had named it. Fairly obvious and straight to the point. She had put it off for months since she came to the realization that her affection for Emma was far more than just because they were friends."
1. Part I

**Author's Notes: This was inspired mostly by the sass Regina has been spitting out so far this season and my muse, well, she kind of twisted things and this came out of it. ****A two-parter****. Second part to follow shortly! Shout out to my bestie, Caryn, because she was my very first SQ supporter and also the reason I'm writing and loving/living this ship right now. I love you, bitch! ;)**

* * *

><p>Regina stood in front of the tall mirror in her bedroom, holding a generic-looking witch costume in one hand—tacky hat included—and one of her outfits from the Enchanted Forest from her time as the Evil Queen. One was a safe choice, one that would more than likely produce a few laughs and the other would likely instil fear into the people who <em>still<em> didn't trust her.

The fifth annual Halloween Ball was just in about to start within the hour, and her decision on her costume was still debatable. The ball itself had been Snow White's decision and as the Mayor of Storybrooke, she had done everything in her power to make that happen after she'd been in office for a year. It had been a hit every year with every single resident in town.

Regina Mills had been playing it safe for far too many years. This year was different. Henry was seventeen now and would be attending the annual Halloween Ball dressed as a pirate—he wanted to make fun of the brief time his mother had dated Killian Jones and even had a plastic hook to wear—and for the first time, he had a date for the ball that wasn't one of his mothers.

It was also just a handful of months ago had she realized her deep attraction to his birth mother. It wasn't like anything she'd ever felt before, not even for Daniel. This was more, this was rooted in deep, but they were friends, her and Emma, finally friends and as close as they'd ever been in all the years they've known one another.

No, it was time to stop playing it safe this year. It was also time to put her plan in action, Operation Swan Queen, Henry had named it. Fairly obvious and straight to the point. She had put it off for months since she came to the realization that her affection for Emma was far more than just because they were friends. The dreams she had on a regular basis had made it hard to look at Emma without mentally undressing her with her eyes. All she could think about was Emma Swan and it was time to make it known to the blonde woman herself that Regina wanted her in every single way.

Tossing the generic-looking costume to the side, she held up the outfit, the smell of leather making its way to her nose. It wasn't over the top, but it would have the desired effect, that much Regina knew was certain. The outfit itself was fairly simple, the black jacket had been one of her favourites, the deep red corset with the plunging neckline almost too revealing and the black leather pants she hoped to hell would still fit. It was so very similar to what she had worn when she threatened the curse at Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, minus the headpiece and the high ponytail of course.

"Mom, are you ready yet?" Henry yelled out as he entered the house. He had been staying with Emma for the last couple of days and he would be there that weekend with her. "Mom?"

"Just a minute, Henry!"

Regina closed her eyes and with the snap of her fingers she was dressed, her shoulder-length hair slicked back under her hat. Her knee high leather boots, one with a five inch heel topped off the outfit and she grinned at herself in the mirror, the very image of her former self grinning right back at her, and everything fit like a glove, just as if no time at all had passed.

"Are you decent?" Henry asked as he knocked on the partially open bedroom door.

"Come in, Henry."

"Oh wow," he said, startled as Regina turned around with a smile. "Are you really wearing that to the Halloween Ball?"

"I am. Is it okay?"

"I—there's just—I mean—" He stammered as he pointed to his own chest, his face beat red as he looked up towards the ceiling. "It's kind of—"

"Too revealing?" Regina asked quietly. "I could change, find something else and—"

"No, don't!" He said in a rush. "You look great and if Ma doesn't think so, then she's clearly crazy! Operation Swan Queen is a go!"

Regina chuckled as she walked up to him and took in his outfit, one that looked as if it had been taken from Captain Hook's wardrobe. The only thing that was off was the fact that Henry was a tall and lanky boy, not quite filling out the leather trench coat he wore and the plastic hook on his left hand looked completely off with the rest of the outfit.

"You look great as well, dear," Regina said as she smoothed out the lapels on his jacket.

"Yeah?" Henry grinned. "So, are you ready to go now?"

Regina held up a finger before turning to walk to her dresser. After placing a silver pendant around her neck and pulling on a few rings, she was ready. Taking her teenaged son's offered arm, he led her down the stairs and out the door and to the waiting black truck, his seventeenth birthday gift from his grandparents, and climbed inside the passenger seat.

The ride to the middle school where the Halloween Ball had been held in the gym for the last five years, was quick and the parking lot was packed which meant majority of the town was already there. Henry parked the truck and they walked into the school together, parting when Henry spotted his date waiting for him by the office.

"Remember, you have to make her notice you tonight," Henry whispered, giving her a half hug. "Which I really don't think is going to be very hard when you're wearing that."

"And then what?"

"That," Henry chuckled as Ava tugged on his hand and motioned towards the gym, "is something I believe _you_ are going to have to figure out on your own, Mom. Good luck!"

Regina frowned, watching her son and his date disappear into the dimly lit and fully decorated gym. Regina smoothed out her jacket and took a deep breath, not failing to notice a few people staring at her with wide eyes. She could do this, she knew she could, she'd done it hundreds of times before and that felt like a lifetime ago. She entered the gym with her head held high, her confidence on point and a little swagger in her step. When she grinned, the crowd parted for her, jaws started to drop, eyes staring on her in shock—and some in fear—as she walked through the crowd.

The bar was set up near the stage and she quickly made her way over there, finding herself in need for a strong drink. After she was served a glass of red wine in a cheap plastic skull wine glass, she turned to face the crowd, scanning over the people dressed in their Halloween best, trying to find a certain blonde amongst the dancing bodies.

"Wow, Regina you look…great," Kathryn said as she suddenly appeared in front of her. Wrong blonde woman. "Regina?"

"Hmm?" She hummed as she looked at her friend, dressed as a black cat from what she could tell. "Oh, thank you," she smiled when Kathryn just acknowledged her outfit again, her eyes widening at the amount of cleavage she had on display. "You look darling. A cat, dear?"

"Panther," she chuckled. "Everyone is already talking about you, some are even whispering that they think you've gone all Evil Queen, like, literally."

"Of course they do," Regina said with a roll of her eyes. "Have you seen Swan tonight?"

Kathryn shook her head no, yet Regina knew that Emma was there, she had spotted her ridiculous yellow car in the parking lot. The two stood there together for a short while, Kathryn mostly nitpicking at other people's costumes while Regina half-listened, half scanned the crowd over and over for the woman who had absolutely no idea that Regina had unexpectedly fallen in love with her.

Operation Swan Queen was about letting her know how she felt, maybe not full on tell her that she was in love with her because she remembered how Emma had literally ran when Hook had said those three words to her years ago. Despite that, Regina couldn't go another day, driving herself insane with the torture of not letting Emma know exactly how she felt about her and doing something about it if the feelings were reciprocated.

There was only one problem, one that had halted her from telling her just days ago how she felt about her. Emma had been casually seeing—sleeping with from what Regina knew for certain—a woman for the last couple of months. While Emma insisted before that the relationship was casual, they had become a little more public as of late. This woman, Alana, was not shy in showing her affections for Emma, neither had she in returning them.

Regina hadn't been the only one who noticed how similar the woman looked compared to her, Henry had most definitely noticed as well and he'd been the one who had pointed it out to her at first. And Regina had definitely noticed the woman more because Emma never seemed to be without her lately.

Her heart deflated when she finally spotted Emma, and just as it had been every time she'd seen her over the last week, Alana was practically wrapped around her, the pair of them slow dancing to the music that blared from the DJ booth. Regina scowled before downing her wine and motioning to the bartender for a refill.

"Hey, you okay?" Kathryn asked gently. "Regina?"

"What?" She snapped at her friend and rubbed over her forehead just under the brim of her hat. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Who are you looking at that's making you all, well, looking like you're about to snap and kill someone with the flick of your wrist," Kathryn asked, her voice curious, her eyes moving out over the crowd and trying to garner where Regina had been looking before.

"No one," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's not Robin is it? I know he burned you when Emma brought his wife back from the past, but you got over that, didn't you?"

"It's not Robin."

"Who is it then, because—oh. Oh!" Kathryn said as she turned to look at Regina with surprised eyes. "No!"

"What?"

"No way," she laughed. "You are totally jealous that Emma Swan is here with that woman!"

"Kathryn—"

"I knew it!" She laughed again. "I knew there was something going on with you lately, but I never could have imagined this."

"What on earth are you babbling about?" Regina asked, clearly agitated and fighting the urge to disappear right then and there. "Kathryn?"

"You're in love with her!" She practically squealed, an arm going around Regina as Kathryn awkwardly hugged her. "Does she know?"

"No. Absolutely not!"

"Aren't you going to tell her?"

"I was, but I'm thinking it is a terrible idea. It's clear that she and that woman are past the point of casual now."

Regina looked back over at the two woman as they practically humped each other on the dance floor once the song changed and the tempo was more upbeat. Although Emma had been trying to keep things respectful due to the whole town being there, that woman's hands were all over Emma and Regina's blood burned hot as she stared on in angered jealousy.

"What on earth are they supposed to be?" Regina asked Kathryn, her gaze not wavering from Emma and her date.

"I asked them when they arrived earlier," Kathryn said and she started giggling. "Mustard and ketchup."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."

Emma was wearing the tightest red t-shirt and the word "ketchup" was written in bright yellow letters directly over her breasts and she wore the tightest red leather pants that Regina had noticed her ass looked simply divine in. Her date wore a bright yellow dress that was almost too short to be legal and despite her jealousy, Regina knew how attractive the other brunette was.

It made white hot anger flash through her body and she turned to look at Kathryn, catching her staring curiously at her, an amused smile curling over her lips.

"What are you staring at me for?" Regina snapped.

"You're totally jealous!"

"Yes, dear. We've established that already."

"You know what's surprising?" Kathryn asked and upon Regina's dramatic eye roll, she continued. "I thought you would deny your obvious attraction to our Sheriff."

"Obvious?"

"I know you two are close now, but I've seen the way you look at her sometimes."

"And how is that exactly?"

"Like you want to fu—hello, Snow," Kathryn said, quickly steering the conversation around as Snow White approached them wearing what looked like a salt shaker costume completely with an appalling hat. "The ball is wonderful as always."

"Thank you, Kathryn," she smiled brightly and turned to look at Regina. "Hello, Regina."

"What is with you Charming's dressed as condiments?" Regina asked, a bite to her voice as David joined them. "It's appalling and completely ridiculous!"

"They're couples costumes, Regina. It's what couples do sometimes," Snow supplied. "It's not appalling and ridiculous, it's adorable. Emma even managed to talk Alana into dressing up like that tonight so they'd match."

Regina had lost count of the amount of times she had rolled her eyes in the last hour, but that didn't stop her from doing it yet again. The very fact that Snow had addressed Emma's date as more than just a date hadn't gone unnoticed by her either. She needed something far stronger than wine to drink and a lot of it.

"That's something I never thought I'd see again," David said as he stared at Regina, doing a once over of her outfit. "It's rather daring."

"Of course," Regina sneered. "That was entirely the point of me digging this out of my vault and wearing it here tonight."

"Regina, are you okay?" Snow asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder that was immediately shrugged away. "Regina?"

"Excuse me," she said evenly, weaving her way past Snow and David and back over to the bar. "Give me something stronger," she said to the bartender, downing the rest of her wine and she thrust the glass at him. "Something _much_ stronger, anything but rum, and keep it coming."

"Yes, ma'am."

Even though she was on fairly neutral grounds with Snow, she wasn't about to confide in her, especially not about being in love with her daughter. Her couples comment had felt like a dagger in her heart, one that kept twisting deep inside her.

When a glass of god knows what was handed to her, she could taste a variety of different liquors mixed in club soda, she drank it quickly, snapping her fingers at the young bartender for another. By her third drink, Kathryn had managed to free herself from what looked like a polite yet uncomfortable conversation with Snow and David.

"What on earth are you drinking, Regina?" Kathryn asked, watching as Regina downed the concoction with ease, the liquor no longer burning as she swallowed and that delightful hum flooding warmly through her buzzed body. "God, are you drunk?"

"That is exactly what I am aiming for, dear."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Kathryn asked, narrowing her eyes at her. "Do you not remember what happened last year when you had one too many to drink and we found you passed out on the bathroom floor?"

"I'll eat this time," Regina said with a bitter stab to each word. "Join me?"

"Fred won't be happy if I—"

"Oh come on, Kathryn, surely you can let loose and live a little for once."

Kathryn sighed and turned to the bartender. "I'll have what she's having, please."

Once she had a drink in her hand, Regina clinked the utterly ridiculous and cheap plastic skull glass and smiled wide. Tonight was going to be fun now that she had a little buzz going. Tonight she would try in vain to forget her undeniable attraction and affection for one Emma Swan.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Regina and Kathryn were seated at one of the dozen tables that had been set up, laughing and cackling as the drinks kept on coming. Regina had, after a few drinks with Kathryn, felt that jealous streak of hers all but disappear. Not once had she looked at Swan and her date and she had completely forgotten all about Operation Swan Queen until Henry plopped himself down in the seat next to her, frowning.<p>

"Mom, are you drunk?"

"Yes, dear."

"How drunk?"

"You already asked me that," Regina said before bursting into a fit of giggles as she leaned into Kathryn next to her. "Are you having fun?"

"Mom," Henry said, his tone serious. "What are you doing? Did you forget all about Operation—"

"Swan Queen?" Kathryn cut him off and he looked at her in surprise. "Oh, don't be so surprised. Your mother told me all about your little plan."

"You told her about Emma and our operation?"

Regina, in her drunken state, blinked and looked at her son in confusion. Yet at the sound of the blonde's voice as it got near made something click inside of her and she pushed at Henry with wide eyes.

"Go, distract her!" She said quickly. "Don't let her sit here!"

"Mom?"

"Now!"

Henry rolled his eyes and stood up from the chair, moving to quickly intersect his birth mother before she could approach the table. Regina didn't dare turn around to look at her, but Kathryn did and she grabbed at Regina's shoulder tightly.

"She's alone," she whispered. "And her date is nowhere to be seen. Now's your chance, Regina!"

"No."

"Come on," Kathryn urged. "You need to tell her."

"Tell her what?"

"How you feel about her, remember?"

"I will do no such thing," she said stubbornly and she reached for her glass, frowning in confusion when she found it empty. "Are you drinking my drink?"

"No," Kathryn chuckled. "Now go talk to her!"

Regina rose from her chair in a huff, finding the room spinning as she turned on her heels to face one Emma Swan, dressed in red and her black leather jacket, directly in front of her and an apologetic Henry stood behind her and mouthed "sorry" before he turned and walked away.

"Regina," Emma said as she looked at her, her face void of emotion. "You're drunk."

"Clearly."

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the table. "Seriously, Regina, what the hell are you doing? Don't you remember last—"

"Unhand me at once," Regina said as she jerked her arm out of Emma's grip. "And what on earth are you wearing?" She said with a slight slur to her voice. "It's completely, utterly, unfathomably ridiculous! Ketchup? Really, Swan?"

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Alana is mustard, two and two go together, right? We wanted to do something, I don't know, cute together. By the way, is this one of those outfits you had in your vault, because I have to say—"

"If the next word out of your mouth is anything other than a compliment—"

"You look great, Regina," Emma smiled sincerely at her and if Regina hadn't been as drunk as she was, she wouldn't have missed the way the smile reached her eyes, a rare sight indeed. "And as great as you look and as much fun as you're having, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut you off."

"You will do no such thing, Swan!"

"Come on, Regina. Why are you acting like this?"

"She's drunk," Kathryn supplied and Regina smirked at Emma. "Really, really drunk."

Emma shook her head and grabbed Regina by the arm, a move she hadn't expect and she stumbled forward and directly into Emma's arms that caught her before she could stumble to the floor. She caught whiff of the perfume Emma was wearing, something that was a mix of vanilla and something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Come on, I'll help you out to Henry's truck, he's going to take you home," Emma said as she kept a hold on Regina. "Or can you walk on your own?"

Regina felt like her brain had just short-circuited on her, being so close to Emma, feeling her arms around her, her scent coming off of her in waves. Before she could realize what was happening, the room was spinning again and she could feel her feet walking, stumbling as Emma had an arm around her, guiding her towards the entrance.

"This isn't like you, Regina," Emma said once they had exited the school. "What are you even thinking drinking like that again?"

"To forget."

"You're making zero sense right now."

"I wanted to forget," she clarified, feeling the alcohol more now in the slight chill of the night air. "It had been working. Just for a little while."

"Forget what?"

Regina swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly dry and they were alone in the parking lot, barely moving as they approached Henry's truck. Even as drunk as she was, she couldn't say it, couldn't get those rehearsed words out, a speech she'd spent majority of the day coming up with for when she told Emma how she felt about her. Instead what did come out of her mouth was something she hadn't expected.

"You, you idiot."

"What?" Emma blinked, coming to a stop and moving to stand in front of her. "Me?"

"I just implied that, did I not?"

"Regina—"

"No."

She tried to take a step backwards and she wobbled on her heels. Emma instantly reached out for her to try and steady her and what happened next was something that wasn't supposed to happen. At least not until after she'd told her how she felt about her.

She kissed her.

She kissed Emma Swan.

She kissed the woman she'd unexpectedly fallen in love with, in the middle of the dark, quiet parking lot.

Regina jerked back away from Emma, feeling as if she had instantly sobered up and had come crashing down to her senses. Everything except her lips felt numb and her lips felt as if they were on fire, burning in the most delicious way. It was Emma's look on her face, one of pure surprise, that had Regina shaking her head and moving away from her quickly.

"Oh I—Emma—that wasn't—I'm sorry I shouldn't have—oh hell," Regina stammered, each word said with another instead step backwards.

"Regina—"

Regina shook her head, turned on her heels and unsteadily managed to practically run away from Emma, her heeled boots hitting the pavement in the parking lot, every step bringing her closer to the road and further away from the stunned blonde she'd left behind, gaping at what had just occurred, no doubt.

She slowed as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and a bitter laugh escaped past her lips. She came to a wobbly stop, that previous feeling of sobering gone as her stomach lurched, the amount of alcohol she drank hitting her all over again. She focused just long enough to disappear in a cloud of purple smoke, appearing in her study instead of her bedroom.

_Close enough_, she thought to herself and she unsteadily made her way up to her bedroom, barely able to remove her clothes without the room spinning and the floor feeling as if it would fall out from under her feet at any moment.

After the struggle with her clothes, she just barely managed to change into her pajama's and crawl into bed before she succumbed to the vast amounts of alcohol she'd consumed throughout the night, the last thing on her mind was the fact that she had kissed Emma Swan…

* * *

><p>Emma's brow scrunched in confusion when she saw Regina disappear, minuscule traces of purple smoke fading quickly in the night air. She was stunned into shock when Regina had kissed her out of nowhere it seemed, but now that the shock had worn off, she blamed that kiss on the fact that Regina was drunk, <em>really<em> drunk, and there was no way in hell that Regina Mills, former Evil Queen, would actually _want_ to kiss her.

"Hey, Ma?" Henry called out as he jogged towards where she was standing. "Where's my mom?"

"Uh…" Emma trailed off and she turned to face her teenage son with a mask of confusion on her face. "She decided to uh, go home, her uh…way, you know?"

"But she's been drinking, isn't that dangerous?"

"Yeah, it is, kid."

"What if she isn't even at home?" Henry asked, worried about his other mother to no end. "We should go and look for her."

"Call me if you find her and vice versa," Emma said with a nod and despite the fact that she'd been drinking a little that night as well, she was off in search of Regina on foot, Henry taking his truck. When she made it to the street, her cell went off. "Shit," she muttered under her breath, pulling it out of her black leather jacket and answered it quickly. "Hey, Allie."

"Where are you, babe?"

"Little crisis happened and I'm dealing with it right now."

"That means you're not coming back to the ball, are you?"

"We'll see."

She heard Alana sigh before hanging up on her. Emma took a deep breath, pocketed her phone and started walking down the street in the direction of Mifflin Street. She just had a feeling and she was going with it because if anything, Regina would've tried to get herself home and likely into bed straight away.

She couldn't remember when it had happened exactly, but Regina had given her a key to her house. She did remember Regina's excuse, something about if Henry misplaced his own key that at least he'd still be able to come home even if she wasn't there at the time. Emma had taken that excuse, hadn't questioned it and she still didn't. She was just grateful that she had it still to this very day.

It wasn't long before she was walking up the front walkway and using the key to let herself in. She shut the door and locked it quietly behind her, blindly reaching out to turn on the front foyer lights.

"Regina?" Emma called out as she walked up the two steps and looked into the study and then to the den and then the dining room. All the rooms were dark and she couldn't even see the light coming from the kitchen either.

Emma just _knew_ that Regina was home, she could just faintly feel her magic in the air, just lingering and yet recent. It was a feeling she'd gotten used to over the years and even though there was hardly any need for magic lately, it was a feeling she just would never be able to forget easily.

"Regina, are you here?" Emma called out as she climbed the stairs slowly, one hand on the banister and the other clenched into a loose fist. She approached the master bedroom, only ever having been in there twice in all the times she'd been in the Mills' house.

The first time was just that very last year when she and Henry had carried Regina up the stairs and put her to bed, the second the next morning when she went to check on her to make sure she hadn't like vomited and choked to death in her sleep.

"Regina?" Emma said as she knocked on the bedroom door. "I know you're in there. Are you decent because I'm coming in, okay?"

Silence. Nothing but silence. Emma sucked in a deep breath and opened the door, peering into the dimly lit room wearily. She first noticed the clothes strewn haphazardly along the floor and then she noticed the lump under the covers and the top of Regina's head, her hair already a mess after having worn that ridiculous hat all night. She was weary as she walked over the threshold into Regina's bedroom and she came to a sudden stop when Regina turned around and struggled to open her eyes.

"Regina, are you okay?"

"What are you doing in here?" She mumbled, her eyes sliding shut. "Go away."

"I'm here because you just—poofed away. You've been drinking and Henry's worried about you and—"

"Clearly I'm fine, Swan."

"I wanted to make sure for myself that you are."

"Satisfied now?" Regina asked, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "If you would _kindly_ see yourself out, I'd like to go back to sleep now."

"Sorry, I just…I'll go. I'll call Henry and let him know you're home, safe and sound and tucked into bed."

"You do that. Shut the door on your way out."

Emma frowned, moving to turn off the bedside lamp before she left Regina alone to sleep it off. She shut the door behind her gently and pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly dialling Henry's cell.

"Did you find her?" Henry asked the instant he picked up the phone on the first ring.

"I did. She's at home and in bed and sounding like she's pretty pissed that I came to check on her," Emma replied quietly, her eyes glancing over at Regina's bedroom door. "I think you oughta go back to the apartment. I'm going to stay here tonight."

"Ma, why would you—"

"She's going to be in a mood tomorrow and I don't want you to be around for that, okay, kid?" Emma sighed and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just go home, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ma—"

Emma hung up on him before he could protest even more. Even knowing better, she headed down the hallway to one of the guest bedrooms and opened the door. She walked in, leaving the door open as she sat down heavily on the double bed, the smell of freshly washed linen hitting her senses.

After a phone call to Alana, who was agitated and angry with her for deciding to stay at Regina's house to keep an eye on her, Emma not telling her she wanted to talk to Regina first thing in the morning about that kiss that had came out of nowhere.

She pulled off her boots and laid back on the bed, her tired mind racing with a hundred and one different thoughts, all of them coming right back down to that kiss. Over and over she tried to convince herself that Regina was drunk enough that she probably had no idea what she had been doing when she kissed her like that. It had certainly seemed that way when she had backed away from Emma, stammering before storming away from her, her steps wobbly yet determined to get away from her as fast as possible.

If Emma was honest with herself, she had enjoyed that kiss in those few seconds it had lasted. She had longed to know what it'd be like to kiss Regina and she had felt that longing for years, even before they had pushed aside their differences and became friends, a feat in itself of course considering their history together. Emma wasn't even sure when she realized that she had fallen in love with Regina, but when she first let that thought linger and stick, the feeling tethering that thought in her mind at all times, she knew there was no way in hell she could ever tell Regina how she felt about her.

For one thing, as far as Emma knew, the former Queen did not reciprocate those feelings and that for as long as Emma had known her, she had only been with men. The very fact that when Emma had let it slip she was attracted to women as well, the look on Regina's face was completely unreadable and the topic quickly changed. Even knowing how she felt about the intoxicating brunette, who never failed to keep her on her toes, she had tried her hardest not to let it come between them and their hard-earned friendship and their co-parenting when it came to Henry.

Emma had sworn to herself that nobody would ever find out just how she felt about Regina Mills, for a multitude of reasons she didn't want to think of in that very moment.

Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, to let the night and that kiss clear and float away from her mind, the exhaustion of spending hours dancing with Alana and drinking and having fun catching up to her rather suddenly. And as her mind drifted from Regina to Alana, she knew that sleep was far from happening.

What she had with Alana was something strictly casual, more about the sex than anything on an emotional level. While she cared about her and found her very attractive—pushing aside the fact that she and Regina we're so very similar, looks-wise with polar opposite personalities—she wasn't and never could love that woman, not when she was already in love with someone else that Allie had become a suitable replacement for since she couldn't have the real thing.

While they had been casually seeing each other for a few months and having sex on a regular basis, it wasn't what she wanted, not really. While she _was_ happy with what she and Allie did have together, there was no commitment, no pressure, no strings attached. She did realize things were changing, that they were together more often than not and that they hadn't been holding back on their public displays of affection much at all anymore either. She had also noticed the way Regina, when she _was_ around, had looked at her and Allie, the look on her face completely unreadable and the coldness in her voice when they spoke lately made her wonder just what she thought about her current relationship with the similar looking brunette.

Emma ran her hands over her shirt and sighed loudly into the quiet of the room. Regina had been right, she looked completely ridiculous dressed all in red, the words "ketchup" written across her chest. If her mother hadn't talked her into doing a couple-y thing with Allie, she wouldn't have felt compelled to do it. But Allie, having been present for that conversation, had squealed at the idea, telling Emma how adorably cute it'd be if they did just that, and Emma, not wanting to disappoint, had willingly given in at the very last moment. It hadn't left much time for her to throw an outfit together, one she thought at the time was good, but now as she laid in Regina's guest bed, she felt her stomach twist into knots.

It had definitely not been a good idea. This wasn't the message she wanted to put across, not to Regina and certainly not to her friends, her family, and the rest of the town. She was only _casually_ seeing the other brunette, having regular sex to sate her raging and highly intense libido.

It wasn't like she was in love with her or had planned on this façade of a relationship to go on as long as it had either. But she knew what she was doing was incredibly selfish too. She was holding on to what she had with the other brunette because, for the first time in _years_, she didn't feel as lonely and that ache between her legs was salved away nearly every single day and night by the insatiable woman who had only just come to Storybrooke earlier that year.

Emma sighed again, draping an arm over her eyes, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep and forget about the events that had unfolded and the endless stream of thoughts the drummed inside her now throbbing head.

* * *

><p>Regina woke late the next morning, her head pounding and her whole body aching something fierce. It took her a few moments to wake up, to blink away the blurriness in her eyes, to take a few deep breaths, to adjust to the warm morning sunlight that streamed through the parted curtains over the window. She licked over her lips, vaguely tasting the alcohol that had been consumed the night before and something else, a taste she wasn't familiar with.<p>

Emma.

Lips of Emma.

She sat up straight in an instant, eyes wide in shock and horror as her trembling fingers touched over her lips, the ghosting feeling of Emma's lips against her own lingering on her lips now as the events of the night before came crashing back to her, albeit hazy, all at once.

Panic gripped at her suddenly. She had kissed Emma Swan in all her drunken glory. She had kissed Emma Swan in the middle of the parking lot out of nowhere. No, she decided as she slumped back down against her pillow, no she most certainly did not kiss the woman she had unexpectedly and most definitely had fallen in love with. She would deny it, she would blame it on the vast amount of alcohol she drank that night. It didn't happen. Most certainly it did not.

But it had and as her mind woke up more and cleared despite the throttling pounding rattling around in her head, she could just faintly feel the ghosting of Emma's lips on her own, how just for one split second Emma had kissed her back, how soft her lips had felt against her own, how just before she had wretched herself away from her that she had nearly thrust her tongue down Emma's throat, how her only last shred of soberness hidden away under all that alcohol had suddenly made her come to her senses.

Just as she did in that moment, sitting back up quickly with wide eyes. Emma had come looking for her after she'd arrived at home and put herself to bed. Emma had come to check on her, to make sure she was all right. Emma had been the last thought on her mind before she'd all but passed out.

The smell of coffee just faintly hit her nose and she rose from the bed, nearly tripping over her clothes that were strewn on the floor. Grumbling in distaste, she plucked each article of clothing and wrinkled her nose at the smell of various liquors that had soaked into the fabric of her corset and jacket. She tossed the outfit onto the chaise lounge, making a mental note to take care of that later.

Slipping on her worn grey robe she'd had since the very beginning of the first curse, she headed downstairs to the kitchen, her nose following the intoxicating aroma of coffee. With a forced smile on her face, she breezed into the kitchen.

"Henry, how thoughtful of you to—" Regina came to a sudden halt when she spotted Emma standing at the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee and still wearing that ridiculous outfit from the night before. "Swan, what the hell are you doing in my kitchen at…"

"Ten in the morning?" Emma finished for her, her lips quirking into a half-smile. "Well, I made coffee. Figured you'd need it this morning."

"Swan…" Regina sighed, trailing off as Emma pointed to a cup near her on the counter, her coffee already made for her. "Uh, thank you."

"You're welcome, Regina."

Despite the mood she was in and the way she felt after drinking far too much, she couldn't fight back her own smile as she picked up the mug and wrapped her hands around it. She inhaled the scent of coffee, lifting it to her lips and taking a small sip. It was made exactly the way she liked it and just for a moment she was fine with Emma's intrusion the night before and that morning.

"You only call me Swan when you're pissed at me for one reason or another," Emma said quietly. "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing," Regina sighed loudly.

"Seriously, what did I do or say to you, Regina? I've obviously pissed you off and I—"

"You're infuriating," Regina muttered before taking another sip of her coffee. "Did you _stay_ here last night?"

"I did, but you're avoiding the question."

Regina rolled her eyes, moving away from the counter and carried her mug over to the small table by the window. Emma stayed rooted to the spot and Regina could just feel her eyes on her as she kept her back turned. It took everything she had to take a few calming breaths before she moved to sit down at the table and looked over at Emma once again.

"Regina?"

"What now, Swan?"

"You know what? Forget it. Obviously whatever it is I did or said to you is something you don't want to talk about. What next, are you going to deny that you kissed me last night? That you forgot that you did?" Emma asked, Regina's mood obviously now affecting her as well. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You kissed me!"

"I most certainly did not!" Regina snapped, the reply instant, the denial all too easy to slip into and she felt her cheeks flush, not just in anger but in sheer embarrassment that Emma had called her on it. "It wasn't on purpose!"

"It wasn't—you've got to be kidding me," Emma chuckled ruefully. "So, you just what? Tripped and drunkenly stumbled and happened to land on my lips?"

Regina opened and closed her mouth, gaping at Emma as she sat stiffly in the chair. Emma finished what was left in her mug, placing it in the sink before strolling over towards her, a rather salacious grin dancing over her lips.

"You can deny it all you want, Regina, but I know for a fact that you kissed me last night and that it was not an accident. I don't know why or what brought it on, but I'm telling you right now that I really didn't mind," Emma said, stopping just a foot short in front of her. "That you kissed me I mean."

Regina clenched her jaw, trying to get a read on Emma in that moment and finding it impossible because now all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss her again.

But that would not be happening. Not now, not later, not ever again.

"So, just so you know, it doesn't change things between us and for whatever reason your mad at me for, that's okay too. We're still friends, Regina. There's no reason to let things get weird between us just because you kissed me, okay? I'll let you nurse your hangover in peace and quiet. I'll see you later."

Regina said nothing and Emma only offered her a smile that warmed her from the inside out. With a sigh, Emma turned on her heels and walked out of the kitchen and just moments later, she heard the front door open and close.

It wasn't until then that Regina let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

If she read between the lines of what Emma had just said to her, Emma was almost saying—daring—her to kiss her again. On purpose.

No, that would most _definitely_ not be happening ever again.

* * *

><p>Denial was always the first step, next was avoidance, and for the next three days, Regina did all that she could to avoid crossing paths with one Emma Swan, which turned out to be a lot harder than it should've been.<p>

The first time was later that same day when Emma had knocked on her front door, sheepishly asking if she could check the guest bedroom since she'd misplaced her cell phone. Regina had stood at the door with her arms crossed while Emma ran up the stairs and returned a few minutes later, the same look on her face as she slipped past her and was out the door without another word.

The second time was the next day when Regina had been out on a walk, the air still warm for the second day of November, the sun bright and not a cloud in the sky. What had compelled her to take a walk down to the park, she didn't know, but she most definitely didn't expect to nearly being run over by the blonde Sheriff jogging down the path, literally not watching where she was going. It had been even more awkward that the previous day and without a word, Regina turned and stormed off, muttering under her breath about how it was impossible to stay away from such an infuriating woman.

The third time was happening in that very moment. Regina had met up with Henry for their usual Monday morning breakfast before he headed to school. They had been sitting in their usual spot at the counter and had only just ordered when the door opened and the sound of laughter flowed over her in a way only one person could. Emma Swan.

And that woman she was oh so casually seeing was with her, clinging on to her arm as Emma led them over to a table not too far from where she and Henry were sitting.

Her bright and happy mood instantly became foul and she grimaced as she tore at the paper napkin in front of her. Henry, of course, picked up on the instant change in her mood and after a few minutes, he turned to her with an eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"What's wrong with you, Mom?"

"Nothing," she snapped and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she tried to calm herself. "Nothing, Henry."

"She doesn't know, does she?" He asked quietly, stealing a look over at the table his other mother was sitting at. "Why haven't you told her yet, Mom?"

Henry perked up, smiling over at Emma and when Regina turned to look back at her, Emma was waving them over, silently inviting them to join her and her sex toy for breakfast. Regina shook her head no, mostly at Henry as she placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him seated there at the counter with her.

"Why not, Mom?"

"Because we are having breakfast together this morning, Henry, just you and me."

Henry rolled his eyes, but didn't say another word. He was stewing in his own tiff of anger, but Regina figured he could have breakfast with his other mother and that tramp any other day and he'd get over it soon enough.

The diner wasn't busy at all that morning and Regina had wished that Emma had decided to sit further away than they actually were. This meant two things, she couldn't shake her mood and she could clearly overhear their entire conversation, one she could've gone without hearing at all and was making her quickly lose her appetite.

"Em, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about, but I'm not sure—"

"You know you can talk about anything with me," Emma said and Regina rolled her eyes, wrapping her hands around her mug of coffee. "What's up, Allie?"

"We've been seeing each other for a while now," the floozy trollop said. "It's been great and I really, _really_ enjoy spending time with you. I just feel like we're headed in different directions lately, Em."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want more with you. Something deeper and on a more emotional level."

Regina really did _not_ like that harlot that had captured every bit of Emma's attention and she really did _not_ want to sit here and overhear that conversation about their relationship either.

"I'm not sure what you—I mean, I really enjoy spending time with you too, but I—"

"I'm falling in love with you."

Regina was seething by now. She really did not like that woman. It had been bad enough she had allowed herself to sit through that conversation, but _that_ was the very last straw. She slid off the stool and without even a word to Henry, she is out the door, slamming it behind her as she feels a meltdown brewing inside of her, one she just barely managed to contain until she was in the privacy of her own home.

Regina slammed the door behind her, her fists clenched at her side. Causal. That's the word that Emma had used when she told her quite a while back that she had been seeing that trollop. It was a casual relationship.

"Casual my ass!" Regina raged as she stormed into her study, suddenly feeling the need for a very strong drink.

She practically screamed as she stormed over to the table where the decanter and several glasses sat on top. She was shaking as she poured herself a glass of cider, bringing the glass quickly to her lips, needing that drink to quell her anger and jealousy.

Of course that whore who had come into town earlier that year had fallen into a _casual_ relationship with Emma Swan and of course that woman had to just go and fall in love with her too! That was _not_ supposed to happen and what happened if Emma fell in love with that hussy too? Regina would never get the chance to tell her, she would never get the chance to see if they could actually have something together that was more than friendship.

She would never be able to find her happy ending. Of course not. No matter what she did, how much good she did in her life now to make up for all the bad, all the evil she'd done in the past, there was always someone or something standing in her way of happiness. Always.

Now she knew that avoidance had been the wrong way to approach this situation. This was _not_ what Operation Swan Queen was about and she just didn't have the guts to confront Emma, to tell her just how she felt about her and now it was too late! That floozy had her claws sunk into _her_ woman far too deep.

It made the blood in Regina's veins run white hot in anger, a feeling she had not had in many years. If she wasn't careful, that trollop would find out first hand just who she used to be and the Evil Queen would be back in Storybrooke, about to exact revenge on the whore who had stolen away her happy ending!

If she had only told Emma the night of the Halloween Ball that she was in love with her then none of this would be happening, that much she was certain, especially now after Emma had told her that following morning after she'd drunkenly kissed her that she hadn't minded that she kissed her at all!

Why did she deny it? Why didn't she just _tell_ her right then and there that the reason why she kissed her was because she was in love with her?

Regina growled and downed the rest of her cider, swallowing the amber liquid hard as she grabbed the decanter and poured herself another glass, half wanting to drink straight from the decanter itself and skip the glass completely.

By the third drink, she had half a mind to storm right back down to the diner and give that skank a piece of her mind, but even she wouldn't go as low as accusing her of stealing Emma from her. Technically Emma hadn't even been hers to begin with, but that didn't stop those thoughts of what she would do to that woman if she allowed herself to slip back into her former self and give her the Evil Queen treatment.

Complete with a fireball or two before she burned her at the stake. Yet for now all she could do was contemplate how she was going to tell Emma she was in love with her when the game had been changed and fantasize of all the different ways she could kill and torture Emma's current little sex toy.

* * *

><p><em>"I'm falling in love with you."<em>

Those words were echoing in her mind as she stared at Allie blankly. Did she just say what she thought she heard her say? Emma shook her head and nearly jumped as the door slammed shut and she looked over at the counter to find that Regina was no longer sitting beside Henry and she turned to look out the front window to see her storming off towards her car.

"Emma, did you just heard what I said?" Allie asked her quietly. "I just told you I'm falling in love with you."

"I heard you," Emma replied, pulling her attention away from wondering what had sparked Regina's abrupt departure. "I thought this was just casual, Allie?"

"I want more than casual with you. I'm falling in love with you!"

"I-I can't do this right now, not here," Emma stammered as she stood up from the chair, it nearly clattering backwards at how fast she'd moved. "There's something I need to do that I just remembered right now that—yeah. I'll see you later?"

"Emma, wait!"

Ignoring Alana, Emma certainly didn't ignore the look that Henry gave her as she grabbed her jacket off the coat rack and all but ran out the door and to her Bug that had been parked down the street a little ways. It wasn't until she was seated behind the wheel that she realized why she had that mini-meltdown in the diner and fled. She was in love with Regina and if she had stayed, she would have screamed it for everyone to hear, _including_ Henry and that was the very last thing she needed to happen. It was bad enough that conversation happened while Regina was right there, no doubt hearing every single word that had been said.

She was in love with Regina and stupidly in a relationship with someone who clearly deserved so much better than her. Emma shook her head and drove off, her mind filled with a hundred different thoughts, none of which she could hold on to because it all came right back down to the fact that she was in love with someone she wasn't even with, someone who had been avoiding her for the last three days, and someone who had become her one really good friend despite the rocky start they'd had years ago.

She knew she was wrong when she told Regina that it didn't change things between them because it did, it changed everything for her. She couldn't even look at Alana ever since Regina had drunkenly kissed her, not without thinking about Regina. She couldn't even keep herself in the moment the other night when she'd been in Alana's bed without thinking about how much she wanted it to be Regina and not her.

"I am so royally fucked," Emma muttered to herself, the silence as deafening as her thoughts. She reached over for the radio and turned it on, blasting Led Zeppelin as she drove through Storybrooke.

After half an hour of driving around town, she came to the conclusion that despite putting the ball in Regina's court ever so subtly, she still had to do the right thing and put an end to her, what she thought was casual, relationship with Alana. As much as it sucked to be alone—and add to the fact that sex with Alana had been pretty amazing—she had to do the right thing, for herself and for the woman who had started to fall in love with her when that was _never_ supposed to happen.

She thought about why Regina had stormed out in the middle of her conversation with Alana, but it was clear to her that she had definitely heard everything that had been said and that she was either mad or jealous or not in the mood to overhear a conversation of that nature and that if she was jealous, she definitely reciprocated Emma's feelings.

Even just a little.

She made her mind up an hour later as she drove to Alana's quaint little house just a few blocks from Mifflin Street. She sat in the car for ten minutes before she gathered what courage she could find and marched herself up to the front door. Her hand hovered over the red door, her heart racing as she made herself knock three times. She shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, taking a step back as she waited.

"Hi," Emma smiled, albeit almost shyly when Alana opened the door a few minutes later.

"I should be so mad at you right now for running out like that," Alana said softly and Emma could see the redness in her eyes, how puffy they were, and she knew that she had been crying. "What was so important that you had to run out on me like that?"

"Can we talk?"

Emma had seen that look, that very look of dread many times before whenever she'd said those words. Those three words never ended well, usually in tears, sometimes with a slap to her face and threatening warnings never to call or see them again.

"I guess, yeah," Alana said, moving inside the doorway and allowing Emma to enter. "I just want to know one thing first, Emma."

"What's that?"

"What was so important that—"

"I had to…think," Emma replied, her reason true but lame. "I'm sorry, I just…don't do well with—"

"Love."

"Right."

Alana nodded slowly, motioning for Emma to follow her to the small, quaint kitchen. "Coffee?" She asked, motioning to the freshly brewed pot.

"I'm fine, thanks."

In all the time the two had known each other, this had been the first time Emma put quite a bit of distance between her and the brunette. While Alana busied herself with making herself a cup of coffee, Emma pulled at the edge of her red jacket, her hands feeling sweaty and her stomach turning in knots.

_It was only ever supposed to be casual_, she thought to herself. _That is what we agreed on straight from the beginning. How could I have ever been so stupid to think that it wouldn't lead to more for her?_

"When I told you that I'm falling in love with you, I didn't think you'd, you know, run," Alana said softly, her back still to her as she stirred her coffee, Emma only looking up from a rather uninteresting spot on the floor at the clatter of the spoon as it was dropped to the counter. "Emma, I know when we started seeing each other what we agreed that this was, but I can't help but—"

"Stop," Emma said quietly. "Can I just—there is something I need to tell you, Alana. Can I just—can you just let me talk to you right now?"

"You're breaking up with me," Alana said evenly. "Is it because of how I feel? Because I told you honestly that I am falling in love with you?"

"No, that's not it at all," Emma said in a rush and the hurt expression on Alana's face made her stomach drop. "I never meant for it to get to this point, for it to go this far. I like you, I do, and I enjoy spending time with you, but—"

"You're in love with _her_," Alana stated clearly, her face now almost completely expressionless. "You're in love with your son's adoptive mother."

"I—" Emma's mouth gaped open and shut like a fish in that very moment. "Yeah. I am."

"Does she know that you are?"

"No."

Alana let out an incredulous laugh then and she shook her head, her eyes filling with tears that went unshed. "Does she feel the same?"

"I-I have no idea."

"Of course not," Alana muttered before taking a few sips of her coffee and letting go of a breath sharply once she all but slammed the mug down on the counter beside her. "I know what you're doing."

"What's that?"

"You're trying to do what you think is right," Alana said, her voice breaking. "You're ending this because you don't want that baggage when you tell her that you're in love with her. You don't want that complication when she most likely tells you that she feels the same way as you do. You don't want to be the one who turns into a cheater—"

"It was only supposed to be casual!" Emma exclaimed. "This was never supposed to be anything more! That is exactly what we agreed on!"

"You agreed! _You_!" Alana yelled back and she shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair roughly. "Do you even think I planned on falling in love with you, Emma? Do you think I wanted to fall in love with someone who has undeniably been in love with someone else the entire time?"

"Stop trying to make me feel like the bad guy right now, Alana. I like you, I do, and the sex is great and what we had was good too!"

"What we _had_?" Another incredulous laugh made its way past her angry lips. "Get out."

"Alana—"

"Get the hell out of my house, Emma. And my life."

"Ala—"

"Now."

Emma backed up with her hands raised in front of her. If there was one thing that was remotely similar between Regina and Alana—save for their looks alone—was the fact that they were both incredibly scary when they were angry.

Emma left the house quickly, not even pausing for a moment to look back at Alana, not wanting to see that hurt look in her eyes, not wanting to second-guess her decision to ends things, not wanting to feel as if the whole thing should've unfolded far differently. It hadn't. Of course it hadn't. That woman had just confessed over an hour before that she was falling in love with her and there Emma was now, breaking her fucking heart to pieces.

Emma felt a heaviness overtake her as she walked out of Alana's house and back to her car. She climbed in and slid the key into the ignition, not turning it over just yet, her vision swaying as she stared blankly ahead at the road in front of her.

She wanted nothing more than to drive over to Regina's house, to knock on her door, to profess her love completely, but she couldn't do that. No. The ball was in Regina's court now. She knew her well enough to know that she couldn't be the one to make the first move.

And if that meant she would be waiting for a while, well then, at least there were droves of free porn on the internet to keep her somewhat satisfied for the time being…

* * *

><p>Regina sighed, loudly, for the umpteenth time in the last hour and a half as she paced in front of the now roaring fire in her fireplace, her glass of cider firmly clutched in her right hand as her left threaded fingers through her hair. Over and over again.<p>

How many had it been now? She'd given up on trying to keep count, but her wits were still about her as she took every controlled, irritated step in her pacing, every third click of her heels rewarded with a small sip from her glass until it was empty.

Rinse, dry, repeat.

Barely fifteen minutes prior, Regina had moved to look out the window. Despite the tall hedges, she'd seen Emma's ridiculous yellow car pull up in front of her house and come to a stop and she just knew it was still there. She could just ever so faintly hear the music blasting over the radio just under a hundred yards away.

It had turned into a game of four paces in front of the fireplace, a sip of cider, two in front of the window just to confirm that Emma was still vey much parked outside in front of her house.

Regina huffed as she moved from the window to pace back in front of the fireplace. She stared down into the glass she held in her hand and shook her head. She never drank like this, not as early as it was, not because of her emotions or because of the fact that she had felt such rage she hadn't felt in years. All the cider did was dull everything she felt while at the very same time it heightened everything she felt.

Acceptance was the very next step. Accepting the fact that yes, she kissed Emma the night of the Halloween Ball, accepting that yes she'd played her cards wrong completely, accepting that the way she had reacted the next day was the complete opposite of how she should've acted and if she just _told_ Emma how she felt, maybe everything would be completely different now.

She was started at the sound of knocking on the front door. She moved to the window quickly, the angle making it hard to see, but the unmistakable sight of the blonde on her front door step was right there in front of her very eyes. She placed her glass down on the table as she strolled out of the study and headed for the front door. Emma knocked again just before she could pull the door open and when she did, she was greeted by the sight of a very flustered looking Emma Swan.

"Regina, we need to talk."


	2. Part II

**Author's Notes: So, I had a ton of fun writing this little story. Hopefully others will enjoy it as well :)**

**Suggested Listening: All This Time by OneRepublic**

* * *

><p>Talk. Emma was there to talk to her and who even knew what about. Regina held on to the edge of the door, narrowing her eyes at the blonde who had captured her heart and claimed it whether she knew it or not.<p>

"What is it now, Swan?"

"Regina, can you please stop calling me that unless you want to tell me what I did to piss you off?" Emma asked quietly and when she bit her bottom lip, it made Regina feel weak in the knees. "Can I come in?"

"I suppose so," Regina said and she stepped back, pulling the door open more for Emma. "In the study," she said with a nod and she shut the door slowly, inhaling deeply as she turned to follow Emma. "Drink?"

"You're drinking?" Emma frowned at her as she stood by the sofa while Regina immediately went to top up her glass. "It's the middle of the freaking day, Regina!"

"Your point?"

"Are you like some not-so-secret alcoholic now or something?"

Regina rolled her eyes and moved to take a seat on the sofa. "What did you come over here to talk about, Sw—Emma?"

"I came over here to find out what's going on with you lately," Emma said and she sat down on the sofa next to her. "You've been avoiding me and it's more than just because you kissed me on Friday night. What happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened? Nothing happened."

"Regina," Emma sighed, the frown looking as if it was permanently etched onto her face at this point. "I'm worried about you, okay? You haven't called me Swan that many times in a handful of days for like five years!"

Despite her liquid courage, Regina sat there in silence. She had the perfect moment sitting right there in front of her, to tell Emma honestly how she felt about her. Why was is so hard just to tell her? It wasn't like Emma was a complete stranger, they had shared things with one another that they could never share with anyone else. They were so much alike and understood each other in ways no one else ever could. There had been a time before Regina realized that she was in love with Emma where they would spent time together, sometimes sitting right there in the study, drinking and laughing, telling jokes and sometimes having serious conversations.

So, why was it so hard?

There was fear of rejection, the fear that she'd lose her friendship with Emma, and the fear that they could never go back to having what they have now. There was also a lingering fear that maybe, by a stretch, Emma felt the same way despite being with that trollop that had fallen in love with her. Just the thought of that woman had her blood boiling again.

"Regina?" Emma said softly. "Whatever it is that's got under your skin, I want you to talk to me, please?"

"That might not be such a good idea."

"What? Why?" Emma looked so confused and wrought with worry it almost made her look completely adorable. "You can talk to me about anything. You have before, I don't know what it is that you can't—"

"This is hard for me."

"What is?"

Regina inhaled shakily. "You know I don't handle most emotions well," she said, raising the glass to her lips only to be stopped by Emma's hand on her arm, an urging in her eyes not to take another sip. "Sometimes it can come out of nowhere. Love, I mean. It can happen quite unexpectedly as well as feel like it's come out of nowhere, completely blindsiding you in the process."

_Now or never_, she thought to herself as she stared at Emma for a moment. _Just tell her you're in love with her, you idiot_.

"It took me quite by surprise when I realized that I had fallen in love with…someone."

"You're in love with someone? I didn't even know that you were seeing anyone. Are you having some kind of an affair or something, Regina?"

"Emma," she sighed heavily with a shake of her head. "No, I'm not seeing anyone nor am I having an affair either. This someone is a friend and I—"

"Is it Kathryn?" Emma asked all too quickly and yet as Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes at Emma's assumption that it was Kathryn, she noticed something different, the way green eyes flashed with what she knew was jealousy.

"How presumptuous of you to assume it is a woman."

"So, you're telling me you're in love with another woman?" Emma asked, her lips curling into a grin and Regina finally rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you fell for that."

"For what, dear?"

"I baited you!"

"I'm aware."

"So, it's Kathryn? I mean, you two were inseparable at the Halloween Ball—"

"It is not Kathryn," Regina snapped. "It's you."

"It's me what?"

Regina shook her head and stood up with a huff. Of all the times Emma was more than just a little dense, now was not the time. Regina placed her glass on the mantel and stared down at the fire. She nearly jumped when she felt Emma's warm hand on her shoulder and it took her a moment to even look over at her.

"I need you to talk to me, Regina."

"Weren't you the one who came over here to talk to me?" Regina asked, a slight snip in her voice as she stepped back and watched Emma's hand drop down to her side slowly. "You showed up at my door looking like someone kicked your puppy and you told me that we needed to talk."

"And I told you that I'm worried about you because of the way you've been acting lately."

"I'm not acting any such way!"

"Regina!"

"I am in love with you!" Regina yelled at her, breathing heavily and not sure why she screamed it the way that she did, but she was drunk and frustrated and feeling so many different emotions all at once. "I am in love with _you_, you idiot!"

Regina snapped her mouth shut, realizing how this must be making Emma feel. She'd been told by two different woman in one day that they were in love with her, one falling, the other already past falling and _was_ in love with her.

"You—me—I—what?"

"Don't you dare make me say it again, Emma," Regina whispered, her lips trembling as she tried to get a read on what was going through Emma's mind in that very moment.

"I…" Emma's voice faltered as she took a step towards her. "I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"You do now."

Regina had never felt more vulnerable in her life than she did in that very moment. When Emma started laughing, she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at her. Whatever had her laughing was not in the very least amusing to Regina. There she had just told her—screamed at her—that she was in love with her and Emma had the utter gall to laugh?

Of all the ways, good and bad, that Regina had assumed this would go, this was definitely not a scenario she could've envisioned. She shook her head and turned to the mantle and reached for her glass only to be stopped by Emma's hand reaching out for hers. Emma's laughter died down, but the idiotic grin she had planted on her face remained firmly in place.

"Hey, Regina, look at me, please?" She said as soon as Regina looked away. "For whatever reason you thought I was laughing, I can promise you it's not what it looks like. I mean, here I thought you were pissed at me for something and it still doesn't make any sense to me about why you've been avoiding me lately."

"Do tell me why you laughed at me after I confessed to you that I—"

"Because I'm in love with you too."

Regina blinked.

Blinked.

And blinked again.

"You what?"

Emma laughed, moving to place her hands on Regina's hips. "I said that I am in love with you too, Regina."

"Oh."

Regina licked over her lips, the tension in her body relaxing as a silly grin broke out across her face. Why on earth had she had the notion before that she was never going to kiss this impossible woman ever again? What a ridiculous notion, really. She laughed too then, and stepped closer to Emma, wanting nothing more than to do just that.

Her heart was racing as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Emma's softly, her body buzzing the moment their lips touched, her mind swirling and her hands slid through Emma's long hair and around to the nape of her neck. It ended just as quickly as it started, Emma pushing at her hips gently as she leaned back despite the hold Regina had on her neck.

"I'll let you have that kiss, but not another or anything more."

"Is it because you are with that woman?" Regina asked, the temptation to refer to her as anything but her name tempting.

"I'm not with her anymore."

"I thought your relationship was strictly casual, that is exactly what you told me when this whole thing had started."

"Regina…"

"She obviously thinks it's more than that and it is, isn't it? How can you be with one and be in love with someone else?"

"Regina, I'm not with her anymore," Emma said firmly, her hands moving to cup Regina's face, jolting her out of her jealous rant immediately. When Emma's words finally sunk in, she smiled again. "And I only said that about the kiss because you've been drinking and I don't want to kiss you if you've been drinking. Not again."

"So, you're saying that you—"

"Want to kiss you, but not like this. I want to do a lot of things with you, but not when you're not sober."

"You're impossible."

"I am."

Regina sighed. "But I suppose you are also right. We shouldn't do this if I've been drinking, which yes, I'll admit now that it wasn't one of my most brilliant ideas."

"You never drink like this, Regina. Why?"

"I heard you and that trollop in the diner talking."

Emma smirked and moved her hands back down to rest upon Regina's hips. "I thought that might be why you pretty much ran out of there all of a sudden. I left after you did, actually. She wanted more and all I could think about was how much I wanted _you_."

Regina was overcome with emotion and she leaned her forehead against Emma's, wishing she would be allowed just one more kiss. With the adorable way that Emma was smiling at her, she knew she could probably get away with it if she tried, but she didn't get the chance because Emma was suddenly pulling away from her, her hands suddenly gone from resting on her hips.

"So, what happens now?"

"I am not certain."

"Do you, I mean do we start…dating?" Emma asked quietly. "Or is it going to be different for us because we've been friends all this time and we don't need that whole dating and get to know each other phase or anything unless you want me to take you out on dates then I could totally do that and we—"

Regina silenced her with another kiss, keeping it chaste, but it was a kiss nonetheless. Now that she had kissed Emma, she certainly never wanted to stop, and she cursed herself for drinking herself to the state she was in now, closer to the edge of being almost as drunk as she'd been at the Halloween Ball than she was to being sober.

"Perhaps you should go, Emma," Regina whispered against her lips, placing once last chaste kiss before stepping back. "If you stay, I most certainly will not be able to control myself and I'd really rather not have you withhold and torture me in the process."

"Right, yeah," Emma nodded and she smoothed her fingers over her hair down the front of her chest. "I think that's a great idea. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is."

Regina smiled at her as she backed away, their eyes locked in a heavy gaze and when she reached the doorway, she gave her a little wave and Regina playfully rolled her eyes at how adorable she truly was sometimes. Picking up her glass, she stared down at the amber liquid inside before storming off towards the kitchen to dump it and rinse the glass out.

Drinking had been such an incredibly stupid idea, but she had been in a rage at the time and it had been the only thing that had somewhat managed to calm her down. But she was not bitter about her decision, not after what had transpired between her and Emma.

And Emma was in love with her too.

She couldn't wait to tell Henry that Operation Swan Queen was swiftly moving to phase two the very next day.

* * *

><p>Emma paced on the front doorstep of 108 Mifflin Street the very next morning, wondering just how early was considered too early to show up at Regina's door in the morning. It was just past seven and the sun hadn't risen too high in the sky, the soft light just starting to break through the darkness ever so slowly. She had been there since just before six and she had been unable to sleep most of the night, completely and utterly restless as she waited with very little patience for it to be "tomorrow".<p>

Gathering up her courage, she raised a hand and knocked in succession and she waited. And waited. She was about to knock again when she heard the lock click open and moments later the door opened and she sighed, the brunette on the other side not the one she was looking for.

"Ma? What are you doing here so early?" Henry asked sleepily.

"It's too early, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Henry asked, stifling a yawn. "Mom left like just before six this morning."

"She left?"

Henry nodded. "Left me a note saying she was going to see you today and that I am, under no circumstances, to come to the apartment at all today," he said and Emma's mouth gaped open. "I also know that means you two are probably going to be having sex so, yeah, I am _definitely_ staying away from the apartment today."

Emma felt the blush creep over her cheeks while Henry stood there with a look of indifference on his face. How he was handling this so well, she wasn't sure at all really, but it wasn't like he didn't know. After she had left the house yesterday, she had ran into him at the diner and he told her all about Operation Swan Queen.

"I'm guessing she's probably doing the same thing you're doing," Henry said with a small grin. "I know you've been pacing out here since six this morning. You got here just after she left. I heard your car."

"Oh god, are you serious right now, Henry? She really left?"

"Yeah."

Emma shook her head, laughing as Henry shooed her away. She all but ran to the Bug and jumped in, the engine roaring to life seconds later and she was off, careful not to skid away from the curb as she hit the gas impatiently.

Regina had had the same idea she had and Emma felt like a complete idiot because if she had just stayed at home for mere minutes more she would've been there when Regina showed up at her door, the door to the apartment she once shared with her mother before her parents and Neal had found a home of their own. She was a complete idiot because she had just been pacing in front of the door for the last hour.

She slammed on the breaks, parking in her usual spot before running for the door. She wasn't prepared to hear Regina before she saw her, and she paused at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Swan, you open the door right this instant! If you are going to dare take back what you told me yesterday, at least grow a pair and face me!" Regina yelled at the door. "I swear, Swan, I don't know why I even fell in love with you in the first place!"

Emma bit her lip to bite back the laugh that was about to escape. As scary as Regina could be when she was angry, she was also so very incredibly sexy. Emma headed up the stairs before she could start yelling again and just as Regina was about to pound on the door again, she stopped and turned to face Emma.

"Hi," Emma smiled brightly at her, watching her features relax in an instant. "So, I was thinking that we're totally meant to be because we had the same idea and—"

Regina reached for her suddenly, surging forward and kissed her and it was nothing like the other times, it was hard and their tongues were instantly dancing, swirling, both trying to dominate the other and lead the heated kiss. Emma moaned as she was backed up against the door rather roughly, Regina definitely showing her that she liked to be in control and definitely liked to be on top.

Emma gasped as she grabbed at Regina's hips and pulled her flush against her. She could just feel the power radiating off the intoxicating woman she simply just could not stop kissing and it was more than just power, more than just magic. It was everything.

"Inside," Regina murmured against her lips before their tongues were dancing together again, Regina's hands grasping as Emma's shoulders hard. "Now," she gasped when they broke apart again moments later. "Emma."

"Hmm?" Emma smiled at her, feeling delirious from that kiss. "It's unlocked."

"Excuse me?"

"I said the door is unlocked," Emma repeated, loving the way Regina looked so confused in that very moment. "Nobody is going to try to break into the Sheriff's apartment, Regina."

"Isn't that very—"

Emma kissed her to shut her up, but mostly because she just wanted to keep kissing her. The way that Regina's lips moved over her own, the way they felt, how soft they were, how her agile tongue moved so fluidly and with determination, it was hands down the best kiss she'd ever experienced in her life. What she wouldn't give to know just how agile that tongue was in other places.

The thought of that had her arousal flooding through her body, the heat and the ache between her thighs growing with every passing second. She blindly reached out for the doorknob and twisted it open. They stumbled past the threshold together, clinging to one another, kissing hard and fast and deep.

"Do you have a thing with doors?" Emma teased as she suddenly found herself up against the door again as it slammed shut with the force Regina had pushed her up against it. "Not that I'm complaining, but—"

Emma grasped at her as Regina's lips captured hers once more. Emma felt like she was being consumed and the weight of Regina's body pinning her up against the wall felt so good, so right, she never wanted that feeling to stop. But she also wanted to get Regina out of her coat at least and go from there.

She felt Regina grin against her lips when she moved her hands from her hips down to cup her ass and pull her harder against her. Regina's hand began to wander, moving from her shoulders to trail fingertips over Emma's exposed collarbone, tracing the v in her t-shirt down to her cleavage. Emma moaned into her mouth, halting suddenly in the kiss when Regina's hands cupped both breasts firmly, her nipples hardening at the touch. Emma whimpered at the loss of Regina's hands on her, pulling back from her lips just long enough to catch her breath before diving in for more, her hands grasping and kneading Regina's ass, eliciting breathy moans as they kept kissing passionately.

Regina was tugging her by her hips, she realized as she took each step with a slight stumble, not at all ready to part from that kiss just yet. Regina did part first, gasping in surprise as she backed up against a post and Emma used the momentum to place a leg between her thighs, sliding a hand under the backside of her left thigh and pulled it around her hip. Both moaned loudly, unabashedly as Emma rolled her hips down against Regina's thigh, thrusting her own up against her and creating the most delicious friction between them.

"Coat," Emma murmured, kissing over her lips. "Off. Now."

God, she had to have her, all of her, and her body was miles ahead of where her brain was currently at. Regina seemed to come to her senses, quickly unbuttoning and trying to shimmy out of her coat all while they moved together, thighs pushing, hips rolling and grinding together in an almost desperate rhythm.

Emma removed her hand from Regina's thigh to push off her own red jacket, letting it fall to the floor as she kissed her hungrily, wanton in passion and in a way she had never kissed anyone before. If she wasn't already in love with this woman, she'd fall in love with her just by the way she made her feel when they were kissing.

She slid her hands up Regina's stomach, revelling in the feel of her silk blouse against her skin and she cupped her surprisingly braless breast, hard pointed nipples grazing against her palms. She pinched over one nipple while breaking away from Regina's lips and trailed a blazing path down her neck quickly, slipping out her tongue for a taste of her skin just before the rise of her breasts and where her blouse parted to reveal just part of her ample cleavage.

God, she loved the taste of Regina's skin, even if she could faintly taste the perfume she'd sprayed on near her neck. Her whole body flushed as she thought of how she tasted everywhere else and upon impulsive desire, she wrapped her lips around a hard nipple through her shirt and sucked. Hard.

"Emma!" Regina gasped hotly, her voice low and dripping with desire.

The way Regina gasped her name did something to her and brought out something feral inside of her. She grasped at the front of Regina's blouse and without hesitation, she ripped it open, knowing she'd be tongue lashed to hell later over ruining her shirt, but really the only tongue lashing she was thinking of was the one that would most likely happen as soon as she managed to maneuver them to the bed not even fifty feet away.

She had been in control for a matter of moments, but before she could wrap her lips around a perfectly hard nipple begging for her lips and tongue, Regina was pulling at her, their lips meeting in a brazen kiss as they started the slow stumble towards the bed just behind the stairs.

Piece by piece they rid each other of their clothes, Regina practically wrenching Emma's t-shirt off, her fingers deftly unclasping her bra mere seconds later, tossing it aside haphazardly as their lips and tongues melded and danced together, their hands wandering and grasping, desperate for more. Both were fully naked in a matter of minutes, a trail of clothes and shoes and underwear leading towards Emma's bed scattered along the floor.

Emma fell to the bed, pulling Regina with her, both of them letting out a laugh as they fell fluidly together on to the bed. Their laughs quickly turned to moans as Emma thrust a thigh between Regina's legs, her wet core slipping over her skin and bringing out that feral feeling once again.

She arched into Regina, her cunt throbbing as it slipped over a smooth, strong thigh. It was a struggle to flip Regina on to her back, but a feat she was momentarily proud of when she landed on top and in control. Emma flipped her hair back and around her left shoulder, smiling down at Regina, her brain finally catching up with her body. At the feel of Regina's hands landing on her ass, her fingernails digging into skin, she moaned and rolled her hips over Regina's thigh harder.

As badly as she wanted to take Regina hard and fast, there was just something that she felt in that very moment that changed everything. This wasn't just about sex, this wasn't just about making Regina feel good, this was about loving each other and that very thought alone had her heart swelling with heady desire.

"I love you," Emma whispered, her breath tickling over Regina's lips lightly as she said the words she very rarely said, those three little words coming out with ease. "I love you, Regina."

Regina smiled at her in a way she'd never seen her smile before. It was so pure, so loving, and it melted her heart completely. She also saw something else as Regina laid herself so open, so bare for the first time. She saw just how much Regina loved her too and seeing that, not just hearing it or feeling it, made her feel something no words could ever describe. It pulled something from deep inside of her.

"I love you too," Regina whispered and she sounded so vulnerable in that very moment.

Emma kissed her then, with everything she had, trying to convey everything she felt into one single kiss. She broke away from the kiss just moments later, slowly and attentively kissing her way down Regina's neck, her tongue dipping out for a taste and she trailed it up the length of her neck, moaning softly at the feel of Regina writhing beneath her. Regina's hands swept up her back slowly, her breath hitching in her chest as Emma trailed her tongue down the length of her neck, sucking and biting at the skin just above her collarbone as she shifted and moved to lay between Regina's legs, the loss of contact making them both groan in protest.

But Emma was more than determined to worship her, to love her fully and completely, to make her feel like a Queen once again, _her_ Queen. Regina's hands slid into her hair, her fingertips landing on the nape of her neck, stroking her there softly.

"Emma," Regina moaned softly as she moved lower, her lips trailing a blazing path down towards an achingly stiff nipple.

Emma smiled against her skin before continuing on her slow descent. She leaned back and trailed a single fingertip over the nipple just inches from her lips, watching as it hardened under her gaze and touch. She could feel Regina's hot pussy against her lower abdomen and when she wrapped her lips around the peak, she could feel her grow increasingly more wet than she already was. It sent a wave of desire, of lust rushing through Emma's body and the moan that escaped past Regina's lips made it harder for her to take her time, to properly worship and lave at her soft, warm skin.

She sucked and pulled at her dusky, hard nipple, letting it go with an audible pop before moving to lick over the other. She rose slightly, moving to kiss Regina deeply, one hand on the mattress and the other trailing eager fingertips over her abdomen, stopping short as she reached her hipbones. She bit Regina's lower lip before breaking from the kiss completely, leaving both of them breathless and aching for more.

She felt drunk with desire as she moved to place hot, wet kisses along Regina's stomach hurriedly, suddenly unable to hold back for much longer, wanting to know nothing more than the taste of her, to feel her quivering against her lips and tongue.

Regina spread her legs wider as Emma settled down between then, her eyes drinking in the sight of her cunt, hairless save for the thin landing strip, and so incredible wet and ready for her. She inhaled sharply, drinking in her arousal, the tangy, musky scent completely intoxicating. Regina's hands sunk into her hair as she licked over her fully.

"Oh gods, Emma!" Regina cried out.

Emma drank her in completely, licking and sucking and nipping at her center, absolutely loving the way Regina bucked and arched into her mouth when she ran her tongue over a rather sensitive spot. Lips wrapped around her clit, sucking hard as two fingers sank in deep inside of her.

Emma just couldn't seem to get enough of her, the taste of her, of hearing those breathy sighs and moans reach her ears, spurning her on, encouraging her to continue to lave at her clit as she thrust her fingers inside of her. She deftly slipped her fingers out from inside of her and slid her tongue in deep, flicking and twisting it until she felt her tighten, her orgasm flooding through her body suddenly and a gush of cum coated Emma's tongue as she continued to thrust her tongue inside her hot, wet hole.

"Emma. Emma," Regina urged as she tugged at her hair. "I can't."

"You can," Emma whispered, nuzzling her nose against her clit, licking over her fully before giving in to the insistent tug on her hair, moving to kiss up Regina's body until their lips crushed together in a wild, wanton kiss.

They moved fluidly together, Emma allowing Regina to regain the control she'd had before. She trembled beneath her when Regina slipped a hand between their bodies, boldly and possessively stroking over her pussy as they kissed hard, all tongue and lips and teeth until Regina broke away from the kiss suddenly, her lips moving to Emma's neck, sucking over her pulse point, hard, marking her.

Emma watched her, threaded her fingers through now wild brown hair as she made a hurried descent down her body, pausing only to lick over hard nipples and bit at them just for a moment. The instant that Regina's tongue laved over her folds, Emma's eyes slammed shut, her hips bucked and she moved her hands to the bed spread, gripping tight as Regina's agile tongue worked over her in the most delicious way.

She knew one thing was for certain, they were not leaving the bed for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Regina could not remember when she'd fallen asleep after having an all-day marathon of sex, but when she woke it was dark and Emma lay beside her, sleeping soundly and she felt completely and thoroughly sated. Yet, she still felt that ache, that driving need for more and she debated whether or not to wake Emma up just to continue where they had left off before.<p>

They had stopped at certain times, mostly for food but all it took was one look at one another and they were right back in Emma's bed, sometimes on the couch in the area by the bed. And the kitchen counter while Regina had been making them a couple of sandwiches. She moaned quietly at the recent memory of that, bent over the counter while Emma tongued her from behind.

"Mmm," Emma smiled, her eyes fluttering open to look over at Regina as they lay facing each other, arms and legs wrapped and tangled together. "When did we fall asleep? I don't remember falling asleep."

"Nor do I."

"What time is it?" Emma asked and Regina lifted her head to look past Emma at the clock on the bedside table.

"Five past six," she replied and raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "In the morning."

"Shit, we really did just have sex all day and most of the night, didn't we?"

"No, dear, it was all just a fabulous dream and you just happened to wake up with me, naked and in your bed," Regina teased, her hand sliding from Emma's back to lightly slap her ass. "I have never done what we've done. Your stamina is rather impressive."

"_My_ stamina? Jesus, Regina, yours is far more impressive. How many times did I nearly pass out after you made me cum? I completely lost track!"

"You did pass out a few times, just for a couple of moments," Regina grinned and Emma shook her head, laughing softly before she moved to nuzzle their noses together. "I don't know what came over me yesterday. I just could not get enough of you."

"And now?"

"I had been debating before whether or not to wake you up so we could continue where we left off."

"That sounds like a great fucking idea," Emma said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "And as much as I want to right this very moment," she whispered, Regina hanging on her every word. "I really need to go to the bathroom first."

Regina laughed, kissing her softly before they detangled themselves from each other and Regina propped her head up on her hand and she watched Emma walk away from the bed and across the small apartment to the bathroom. What a sight it was and one she would never tire of seeing.

She knew every inch of Emma's body now, every dip, every curve, every freckle, every scar, absolutely every inch of her delectable body. And they had spent hours upon hours, making love, sometimes down right fucking, in every possible way, in every position, save for the use of toys between them.

_Another time_, Regina thought to herself, making a mental note to dive into some research later, much, much later.

She smiled when Emma stood in the doorway of the bathroom and as she was beckoned, she slipped off the bed and strolled over to her, their lips meeting and sliding together instantly.

"I'm all for more," Emma whispered against her lips, "but I really feel like we could use a shower before we do."

"Together?"

"Obviously," Emma chuckled, pulling her towards the clawfoot tub and pulled back the shower curtain.

Regina took that moment to look at her own reflection in the mirror above the sink, looking at every spot that Emma had clearly marked her, some darker than others, each love bite ranging in size and shape. Never had she allowed any previous lovers to mark her in such a way, but Emma was different and she had left quite a few behind on Emma's body as well.

She turned to look at her and under the bright bathroom light she could see them more clearly. She reached out for the one that was on her right shoulder, smiling as Emma turned to look back at her, a hand still under the faucet as she tried to get the temperature just right.

"We got a little out of control, didn't we?" Emma chuckled softly, moving her hand out from under the running water.

"Yes we did, but it was certainly worth it."

"Totally, yeah," Emma grinned and she pulled the knob, water rushing from the shower head and steam ever so slowly rising. She held out a hand towards her. "After you, my Queen."

"I'm your queen, am I?"

"Yes, you are," Emma said and she stepped into the tub after her and pulled the curtain shut. "You're mine, Regina. All mine and I really don't mind worshipping you either."

"And if I am your queen, then who are you?"

"I'm your knight, your white knight in shining armour."

Regina laughed, wrapping her arms around Emma. "Yes, you really are."

* * *

><p>After a long shower together, one which they only just barely managed to tear themselves away from touching and kissing each other long enough to wash and rinse, they ended up in bed again, only Emma was sitting up with Regina in her lap, one hand between Regina's legs and the other placed on the bed just behind her. Regina sat on her thighs, her hips swaying as Emma teased her fingers over her cunt, her eyes watching as her fingertips slipped between folds and slipped out coated in arousal.<p>

Emma looked up at her, watching as she bit her bottom lip, an almost strangled moan escaping as their eyes met. Regina had both hands on Emma's shoulders and she squeezed, her nails digging in to already tender flesh as Emma teased her fingers over her clit.

"Emma," Regina groaned, her hips twitching when Emma's thumb and forefinger pinched over the sensitive, throbbing bundle of nerves. "Oh, _Emma_!"

She surged forward and captured Regina's lips in a deep, lazy kiss, her finger tips moving lower to tease at her hole. She thrust two inside of her with ease, neither of them breaking away from the kiss just yet and Emma deftly slipped them almost all the way out before slamming them back inside of her, hard and fast.

Emma broke away from the kiss then, both panting hard as Emma continued and Regina's hips twitched and surged forward. "Yes, ride my fingers," Emma hissed, the sight of Regina doing just that had a surge of arousal shoot between her legs. "Fuck."

She slipped a third finger inside of Regina, filling her whole and god was she ever tight and it left Emma's head spinning as she continued to watch her, mesmerized by the sight and the feel of Regina moving on top of her. A hard tweak to a nipple had her looking back into Regina's lustful brown eyes.

"God, you're so fucking gorgeous like this."

"Hmm," Regina moaned, a smile slipping out before she slid her eyes shut and moaned loudly, gasping as Emma's pinky began to brush against her puckered hole. "Emma!"

"Do you—"

"Yes," she all but hissed, stilling her hips as Emma pressed her fingertip against the tight flesh, teasing over it for a moment before they found their rhythm again.

Emma shifted on the bed and lifted her hand off the mattress, a hand that Regina immediately took in her own and raised it unhurriedly and wrapped her lips around her middle finger, and sucked the length of it, the gesture a notion to Emma that she very much was into it and wanted her to fill her other hole. Wave after wave of lustful desire rolled through Emma's body as Regina slid her finger out from between her lips and guided her hand around her body, her hips stilling as Emma's fingers did and led her right to where she wanted her.

Brown eyes locked onto emerald ones, the intensity rising in the air with every second that passed. Emma licked over her lips, teasing her middle finger over her puckered flesh and she eased it inside of her slowly, allowing her a moment to get used to the intrusion.

"Fuck," Emma said shakily. "Regina, I—"

"Please, Emma, just _fuck_ me," Regina begged, her voice husky and low and wrought with titillating desire. "Don't hold back. It feels…incredible."

She leaned in and kissed Regina deeply, slowly starting to move her fingers to fuck her again. It felt incredible for her too because she could feel her middle finger against the back of her three that were buried in Regina's cunt. She could cum just from that sensation alone and she knew she would, it would be just a matter of minutes—if she could even hold out that long.

Both of them were moaning as Regina rode Emma's fingers. Regina had one hand pressed against Emma's on her ass and the other clutched tightly on to her shoulder for some leverage. This alone was far more intense than anything they had done in the last twenty-four hours together and even though it wasn't something Emma was normally in to, Regina was certainly enjoying herself immensely.

They were kissing relentlessly, hungrily, their gasps and moans merging together as one. Emma thrust her fingers as hard and as deep inside of her cunt as she could, sucking on Regina's bottom lip as she felt her orgasm ripple through her body before it ripped right through her.

"Keep them inside of me," Regina demanded in a rush before she shuddered and twitched, her hand gripping on to her shoulder even tighter.

Emma could feel everything, from the way her walls spasmed against her fingers, to the hot gush of cum that slid over her fingers and into the palm of her hand. That was all it took and Emma moaned loudly, not moving her fingers out despite the urge to touch herself as she came undone completely. Regina slid her hand away from on top of hers and swiftly moved it between Emma's partially parted thighs, her fingers slipping between her folds, stroking her, coaxing and drawing out her orgasm.

They were so immersed with one another that neither heard the door as it opened suddenly. "Emma," Snow called out as she strolled through the door. "I've been looking everywhere for Neal's—oh!"

Emma's eyes went wide as she stared over Regina's shoulder at her mother standing by the stairs, her mouth hanging open, her face slowly yet surely turning beet red. Emma felt her heart racing impossibly fast, wanting nothing more than to have the floor swallow her up and save her from this humiliation of her mother catching her having sex with Regina.

"You can take them out now, dear," Regina whispered, a playful tone to her voice. When Emma still didn't move, she turned her head to look over at Snow. "You can go away now, Snow," she said sweetly, winking at her. "We're not quite finished here yet."

"But you—I thought you and—what—I mean you and—what is she doing here? Emma? What the hell is going on?" Snow said, finally finding her voice and her words, her face and neck as red as a firetruck and she was shaking, likely in shock and embarrassment and now anger. "Emma!"

"Oh my god," she groaned, closing her eyes tight, her fingers still very much inside of Regina. It hit her then that her _fingers were still inside of Regina_ and she pulled them out as quickly as she could. "Oh my god, Mom! Get out of here!"

"Mama did you find it yet?"

Emma's eyes flew open and even Regina, despite keeping calm throughout this whole ordeal, had a look of shock and fear in her eyes at the sound of Neal's voice.

"Neal! Stop!" Snow said, holding her hands out towards the door. "Go back downstairs and wait like I asked you to!"

"But I wanna see Emma!"

Emma just barely managed to, with Regina's help, grab the sheet and wrap it around both their bodies before Neal bounced inside the apartment with a huge smile on his face. Emma knew that she was just as red as her mother now, if not even more so. She watched as a frazzled Snow rushed towards the little boy and scooped him up before rushing out of the apartment, slamming the door shut loudly behind her.

"Please tell me that did not just happen!"

"Your mother walked in on us, dear," Regina said quietly, "and you proceeded to keep your fingers inside of me while she stared at us."

"Oh god…kill me, just please kill me."

"And then your little brother had the extreme audacious notion to come inside after your mother specifically told him not to," Regina continued and Emma frowned at her. "It seems as if both of Snow's children harbour the inability to listen to basic instructions."

"You told me to keep them inside of you!"

Regina full on laughed as Emma flushed even more. But after a few minutes, Regina was still laughing and Emma finally started laughing too despite her extreme level of embarrassment.

"Of all the times you choose to do as you're told, that just had to be one of them, didn't it, dear?" Regina asked and they fell back on to the bed together, still laughing. "God, I love you, Emma."

"I love you too," she smiled at her, the flushed tone in her skin starting to fade. "Let's just never talk about this again, okay?"

"Knowing your mother, we'll either never hear about it again or that is all we'll hear for the rest of our lives."

"That's it, I can never, ever leave the apartment again and—"

"Emma—"

"I can't believe she just walked in on us like that! I mean I know it's something she normally does and there's no way she could've known that you were here and that was why when I was with—"

"Emma!"

"—we never stayed here or did anything during the day in case my mother decided to turn up unexpectedly and—"

"Swan!" Regina roared and Emma snapped her mouth shut, eyes wide at the angry woman laying next to her. "Do not ever talk about that tramp when I am naked and in your bed. In fact, I never want to hear you talk about her ever again. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good, now that it's clear and we got that out of the way, do you think you can calm yourself down long enough so that we can continue?" Regina asked, her mood shifting immediately as she licked over her lips, her hands wandering over Emma's body languidly. "I want to return the favour, seeing how you just fucked me so incredibly that not even your mother showing up has ruined the mood for me."

"But it has for me!"

"Not for long, dear," Regina smirked and she disappeared under the sheets, her lips falling upon Emma's skin.

She was right back to where she'd been not even five minutes ago, her body trembling with heady desire as Regina settled between her legs and all thoughts of her mother and little brother disappeared at the first touch of Regina's tongue…

* * *

><p>For the next week, Regina wore a smug look on her face any time she happened to run into Snow while she was out and about, which had been more than a handful of times in a matter of days. And every time Snow would look at her, she would blush and stammer, not making a shred of sense before turning to walk away from her. Oh, she was enjoying it far too much, not because of any reason other than the fact that Snow was walking around town after their encounters, red faced and rambling nonsense, acting like the idiot Regina always referred her as being.<p>

The single best part of the entire week was when she ran into Emma's former little sex toy, who had without a doubt heard all about the incident that happened between her, Emma, and Snow—no thanks to Emma who told Ruby who most definitely told someone else, and the town was whispering, spreading the story like wildfire. Of course the little floozy had at first given her the evil eye, one that was returned with her own glare. But then she found herself face to face with the trollop in the middle of Granny's diner, which was busy during the lunch rush and all eyes were on them.

Regina had said not a word, just let her lips curl into a smug smile as she crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at the woman who opened and closed her mouth, gaping like a fish until she backed down in wordless defeat, Regina grinning as if saying: I won.

In a way, she did win. Emma didn't love that tramp, she loved _her_, the former Mayor, the woman who had once been the Evil Queen and had convinced herself she was never worthy of love. Emma loved her and she showed her every single day in her own little way, be it with words, with soft kisses that made her heart lighten, or the hours and hours of copious amounts of sex they managed to have when they could find a spare moment alone.

Of course, after the incident with Snow, Emma made sure that door stayed locked and that Henry was completely clear on the fact that he was not to come to the apartment without at least calling first. Despite Regina's hesitation when Emma flat out told their son just that and knowing he knew exactly why, it worked out for both of them in the end, save for a few embarrassed looks that Regina would get from Henry upon her return home.

But her least favourite moment of the past week was right there and now, being forced—forced!—to endure dinner with the Charming's at their house. Emma insisted it was okay, that things weren't going to be weird at all, but that was definitely not the case when she, Emma, and Henry showed up for dinner. Snow's face had been red for the last hour, barely able to speak to either women without stuttering or rambling, but David was all smiles, enacting quiet and easy conversation with them at the table.

Thankfully little Neal didn't mention that day in front of everyone. Of course, everyone knew what had happened that day, Snow obviously far more traumatized than her husband, and even more so than Emma.

Aside from agreeing to dinner, as far as Regina knew, she hadn't seen her mother since the incident they don't talk about, but whatever had compelled Emma into coming for dinner and dragging Regina along with her, she could see now that she was certainly starting to regret it and looking as if she would run out the front door at any given second. Regina sat in the dining room chair with ease, sipping from a glass of wine while listening to David talk about taking a fall camping trip with Neal and Henry.

"Snow," David said as he turned to her. "You've been really quiet tonight."

"Yes."

"Why?" David probed and Henry stood up, his dinner finished and he coaxed Neal into helping him clear away everyone's nearly empty plates. "Snow?"

"You know why, David."

"I know, but it's been a week and we're all adults here. Don't you think it's time to let go and move past it?"

"Move past it?" Snow's eyes narrowed at her husband. "You did not see what I saw!"

"Oh god," Emma groaned from beside Regina, sinking low in her seat. "This is not happening! We're not supposed to be talking about this!"

"Honey, I know it is—"

"You don't know!" Snow shrieked, her skin flushing deeper as she rose from her chair. She pointed straight at Regina. "She was having sex with Regina!"

"Yes, we've discussed this, and it's not like it's any secret that Emma is into women as well," David said calmly, trying to calm his wife down by reaching for her hands and getting her to sit back down. "And yes, I know she was having sex with Regina. I thought we all moved past well, the past?"

"Her hands and fingers were in…places! Places I do not want to think about!"

"Kill me," Emma muttered quietly, hiding her face behind her hands.

"Snow," Regina said evenly. "I know how traumatizing and embarrassing it has been for all parties involved, but David is right. We're all adults here and I think it's due time that we move past this whole…incident."

Snow looked like she was about to explode and David was trying his best to soothe his wife, a hand on her back, rubbing over and over. Regina took another sip of her wine before she continued, looking to resolve this once and for all so they _could_ move past it.

"I know that you have a rather large issue with not just with the incident, but because it was _me_ with your daughter when you walked in on us. I can assure you that my only intent and purpose is to love her and make her as happy as she makes me feel, nothing else. This is not a ploy for revenge on you, Snow. We all moved past that many years ago or have you forgotten already?"

"I—"

"And while I understand how utterly embarrassing the whole incident had been and still clearly is," Regina continued, fighting a smile that tugged at the corner of her lips, "but is it truly that impossible not to sit back and laugh about the obscenity of the whole situation? After all, dear, as I have been told, Emma walked in on you and David shortly after the first curse had broken, and Snow, as far as I'm concerned that is equally as embarrassing and something that Emma didn't spend an entire week freaking out over."

"Fingers in places!" Snow squeaked and she turned to David. "She had her finger in _that_ place, David!"

For the first time that evening, even all throughout the week, David blushed furiously. Now it all made complete sense to Regina. Snow wasn't freaking out over catching them, not entirely, but because Emma's finger had been buried deep inside her tight puckered hole.

"Oh please," Regina rolled her eyes. "You aren't _that_ vanilla, Snow."

"Regina," Emma groaned from beside her, her face just as red as both of her parents.

Oh yes, Regina was enjoying this far too much that perhaps she should tone it down because Emma was half embarrassed to death and half ready to kill her. Regina rolled her eyes and sipped from her glass of wine.

"Yes, I agree, it was all very horrifying and traumatizing and embarrassing, but we are grown adults who enjoy having sex and while no, I am not a fan of being interrupted because someone doesn't have the decency to knock before entering someone else's home, this has got to end."

Regina moved to stand, taking Emma's hand in her own, smiling as sweetly as she could manage at two red faced Charming's staring at her with their mouths wide open. She pulled at Emma's hands, waiting until she stood before strolling out of the dining room and headed for the front door, both of them more than ready to put this evening to bed once and for all.

And she wanted to take Emma to bed too, but that was beside the point.

While they gathered their coats and slipped on their shoes, David was the first to emerge from the dining room and coming to stand by the front door to see them off. Snow, albeit reluctantly, followed moments later.

"Thank you for dinner," Regina smiled at both of them, slipping on her black leather gloves slowly. "It was lovely. We must do this again, perhaps without the awkwardness we've all endured this evening?"

"Of course," David said, the first to speak, a small smile dancing over his lips. "All awkwardness aside, it was a…nice family dinner. The first of many, I'm sure."

Their exchange was that of politeness but even Regina heard the sincerity underlying in his words. The handshake exchanged was that of a formality and just as Regina was about to pull her hand away she found herself enveloped in Snow White's arms while David gripped tight on her hand, his other arm finding a way around them both.

Despite the feeling of confusion and bewilderment, Regina allowed herself to indulge in the little moment before she was desperately untangling herself from the Charming's sudden and unexpected and far too intimate hug.

"Yes, well," Regina said, slightly flustered as she looked over at Emma for a split second before looking back at the Charming's. "Good night. Thank you again for dinner."

Emma was suddenly pulling her out the front door and into the cool night air. It wasn't until they reached the sidewalk that Emma turned to her, letting go of her hand as her arms flew out at her sides.

"What the hell was that?"

"What was what, dear?"

"That!"

Regina blinked and shook her head. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Regina, really? It was lovely and we must do this again? Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Emma quipped. "You're my _girlfriend_, Regina, because a lot of the things we do in bed, I wouldn't let just anyone do those things to me. With me."

"I am now, am I?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed and Regina, oh she was most definitely having far too much fun tonight despite it having started out as her least favourite day this week. "And don't think I didn't notice your costume at the Halloween Ball either, because I did. So did the entire town!"

"So, you did notice what I had wore that night, did you?"

"Everyone did!"

"My, my, Emma Swan—"

"Was that—did you dress in that outfit for me?" Emma asked quietly and it halted Regina in her tracks. "Did you?"

"Whatever made you guess?"

"That kiss. Our first one."

Regina couldn't help but smile. Emma being adorable was infectious and always brought out a side of her that she herself had never known. She moved in front of her, stopping Emma from continuing on the walk down the street in the very direction of Emma's apartment and she wrapped her arms around her easily.

"The kiss I all but ran from seconds after it began," Regina chuckled. "After all this time, this is how we end up being together."

"Yeah," Emma smiled, her arms wrapping around Regina as well. "All this time I wanted you and you wanted me and neither of us had a single clue just how we felt about each other. We're idiots."

"Maybe you are but I am—"

"Yes you are, Regina," Emma said determinedly. "You are. You're my idiot."

Regina kissed her then, ever so softly. "And you are mine."

**The End**


End file.
